How to Become a Software Engineer - A Step-by-Step Guide

Software engineering is a highly sought-after field with good social benefits, flexible working hours and interesting tasks. You may be wondering what exactly a software engineer does.

Is this career field something for you?

This guide explains what software engineering is and what a software engineer does. We'll go over what skills and qualifications you need to become a software engineer and what you need to get started.

By the end, you will have a good idea of ​​what steps are required to get into the field for which the US Department of Labor predicts growth of a whopping 22% between 2020 and 2030.

1. What is Software Engineering?

Software engineering is a broad term and can mean a lot of things depending on the region, company and/or person using it.

It is also used as a generic term for various professions, from Software architects to working with hardware to web development.

A stricter definition might define a software engineer as someone who creates programs for Computer designs (think of your McAfee antivirus software or your Mac Pages program). Meanwhile, a software developer could be someone who creates applications and websites that you see in your internet browser.

But don't worry too much about the language. Ultimately, it's more important that you know what you're interested in, regardless of vocabulary.

2. What does a software engineer do?

A software engineer is involved in the design, development, testing and maintenance of a software application.

Depending on the product and the engineer's specialization, this could be a computer program or operating system, an app on a mobile device, or a website in the browser.

Software engineers can work freelance or in a company. You work with the customer or company to define their needs, create a list of requirements and implement them alone or in a team, depending on the scope of the project.

The task may include researching how a new feature might be implemented (or whether it makes sense), fixing bugs in existing software, testing and reviewing the work of other engineers, and more.

Interpersonal skills are also important here because a software engineer not only has to work with the customer and/or stakeholders (depending on the role and position), but also with the UX - or UI-Designer , the product manager, other engineers on the team, QA testers, etc.

If you're wondering how to become a software engineer in a specific field, there are broadly two main areas:

• Application Engineer - develops applications for iOS, Android, Windows or other operating systems and can Frontend , Backend or be full stack.
• Systems Engineer - creates and/or coordinates a company or organization's computer systems and sets up all networks connecting computers to the company.

3. What do you need to become a software engineer?

As a software engineer, you work on software that solves a specific problem for the customer/company.

This requires a mix of good communication and technical skills. Now let's take a look at what exactly these technical skills might be.
Qualifications

There is no specific qualification required to become a software engineer.

There are various ways to enter the industry, especially in the area of ​​web development. This ranges from self-taught to a coding bootcamp to a university degree in computer science or a similar subject.

Interviews for software development jobs are very hands-on when it comes to demonstrating your technical skills.

For a software engineer, it is more important to be able to demonstrate your skills in an interview than to have a specific piece of paper with qualifications.

Let's take a look at what these skills might be.

Skills

For web development you primarily need the following skills:

• HTML/CSS
• JavaScript
• Knowledge of at least one web framework: React/Redux, Vue, Angular, etc.
• Git and Github flow
• MongoDB, GraphQL and/or SQL databases

4. How to Become a Software Engineer: Five Practical Steps

You think this career could be for you, but what now? There is so much different advice on the internet about how to get started as a software engineer.

Bootcamps or not, is a college degree worth the time and money? With mountains of online resources, where do you even start if you want to teach yourself?

Ultimately, the path to becoming a software engineer can be divided into five steps:

Step 1: Plan your career path

First you need to think about how you learn best.

Self-taught learning, for example, is obviously the cheapest route, but there are several things to consider here.

What will you do if you get stuck on a concept, do you have some kind of community you can turn to?

Do you have a good workplace at home and regular time for yourself?

Do you learn better with others or are you disciplined when you concentrate on a task?

A software engineering bootcamp or other immersive program is a good option if you want more structure, community, and access to mentors, but don't want to spend years attending college to get a degree.

Immersive coding bootcamps can be completed full-time or part-time and last an average of 3-9 months, depending on the program you choose.

A university degree could be a good option if you are more interested in the theoretical aspects of software engineering and/or computer science.

For example, working in software or systems architecture, writing algorithms, or deciding on data structures for large projects may involve the application of calculus or linear algebra.
If you want to design operating systems, compilers or computer systems, you can learn this by studying computer science. Knowing the theory can also help you learn languages ​​faster.

Aside from this theoretical knowledge, coding bootcamps teach more practical skills.

Step 2: Educate yourself

Now that you know which path is best for you, it's time to choose your Development skills expand.

Whether you are self-educating, completing a program or getting a degree.

Step 3: Gain experience

Once you've mastered the basics, you should get real experience.

This includes working on a few projects, practicing algorithms, and researching questions that a hiring manager might ask you in an interview.

Step 4: Create your portfolio

Interviewers will want to see some examples of your code. You can work on this before you start your first job by developing your own projects or contributing to open source.

Step 5: Apply

You will never get the job if you don't apply!

You can on sites like LinkedIn Jobs , RemoteScout etc. for positions in the area Software development seek. You can also search for companies you like and apply directly.

This is also where hiring managers often come to you, so make sure you've cleaned up your LinkedIn profile with all relevant keywords for your skills, links to your portfolio, etc. Don't forget to make your profile available to recruiters.

5. Getting started with software development: The most important thing to take away

The idea of ​​entering the field of software engineering may seem overwhelming, but like everything, it is a series of steps.

When planning how to become a software engineer, the most important thing is to think about your goals, think about the steps you need to take to achieve them, and take them one step at a time.

It's a two-way street, so make sure you take a realistic look at yourself, your learning methods, your time and your interests.

Software engineering is a great, in-demand field with good salaries, interesting work, flexibility and benefits. There are many career changers from different backgrounds, and if you put in the effort, you can do it. A fully supported one can ensure you complete the journey successfully and are supported along the way.